Eileen Ford
| Eileen Ford | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Eileen Cecile Ottensoser March 25, 1922 New York, New York, U.S. |
| Died | July 9, 2014 (aged 92) Morristown, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Nationality | United States |
| Occupation | Model agency executive and co-founder of Ford Models |
| Years active | 1946–1995 |
| Spouse(s) | Gerard W. Ford (1944-2008; his death); 4 children |
| Website | http://www.fordmodels.com |
Eileen Ford (née Ottensoser; March 25, 1922 – July 9, 2014) was an American model agency executive and co-founder, in 1946, with her husband, Gerard "Jerry" Ford, of Ford Models, one of the earliest and internationally best known modelling agencies in the world.
Eileen Cecile Ottensoser was born in Manhattan and raised in suburban Great Neck, Long Island, the only daughter of four children of Loretta Marie (née Laine) and Nathaniel Ottensoser. Eileen had been a model during the summers of her freshman and sophomore years at Barnard College, modeling for the Harry Conover Modeling Agency, one of the first in the United States. She graduated from Barnard in 1943.
The next year, she met her future husband, Gerard "Jerry" Ford, at a drugstore near the Columbia University campus and eloped with him, marrying in November 1944 in San Francisco. Shortly thereafter, Jerry, who was in the Navy, was shipped out for World War II. In his absence, Eileen became photographer Elliot Clark's secretary, then later a fashion stylist, copywriter, and fashion reporter for The Tobe Report.
A pregnant Eileen started to work as a secretary for several models, taking calls at her father's New York City law office, charging each model $65 to $75 per month. After giving birth to her first child, daughter Jamie in March 1947, she continued to work hard. Jerry returned from the war in March 1946, and despite knowing nothing about the fashion industry, he joined Eileen in creating an agency. After only a year, Eileen and Jerry sold their car and relocated their agency to a third-floor walkup on Second Avenue.
Although the Ford's location was terrible, within a year, the modeling agency was the second or third most successful in the United States, grossing $250,000. The Ford's first superstar model was Jean Patchett. The Fords had the capital to instill the voucher system, something that other modeling agencies were not affluent enough to offer. Dorian Leigh described Eileen as "one of the hardest working, most persistent persons I have ever known, two qualities which made her my very good friend for years and later, my unanticipated enemy."
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